In today's age of physical fitness, health-conscious adults continuously seek ways and opportunities to exercise during the course of their busy home and work-life schedules. It is commonplace to see individuals (e.g., business executives, homemakers, mothers and fathers) jogging, cycling or walking in their spare time to maintain a good standard of health. At the same time, parents of young children desire to continue their fitness regiment as they care for their young children, e.g., infants and toddlers. Consequently, there is fast growing market for fitness equipment which allows the parent to include a young child during their exercise routine.
Children are commonly seen strapped to the back of a bicycle, towed behind in a buggy, or laying (sleeping or awake) in a runner's stroller. As they pass, onlookers smile to communicate their approval as they appreciate the extra effort being extended to include/involve and stimulate the development of the child. Conversely, the parent athlete feels a strong sense of satisfaction knowing that they are maintaining a high standard of health while at the same time maintaining a bond with their child.
While these vehicles and devices offer several advantages as discussed above, a disadvantage to certain of these child carrying vehicles or devices is that they often position the child out of a parent's direct line-of-sight. For example, an infant/toddler bicycle seat must necessarily be mounted aft of the cyclist to provide the rider with an unobstructed view of the rode ahead. As a result, accidents can occur such as when a child is not strapped-in properly or the child is able to detach the retention harness. Furthermore, while these infant/toddler seats enable the child to participate in the activity, they do not facilitate eye-to-eye contact between the young child and his/her parent. It will be appreciated that, for an infant, this can be particularly discomforting/distressing.
Among the litany of apparatus/vehicles which provide exercise for the user as well as a more rapid means of transport (i.e., faster than walking), are self-propelled scooters. Conventionally, scooters employ a rolling platform for supporting at least one foot of the rider and a steering assembly coupled to a forward wheel of the scooter. The scooter is propelled by having one foot of the rider push off the underlying ground surface while the other rests upon and convey forward motion to the scooter.
Scooters of the type described herein employ at least three (3) wheels disposed in a triangular pattern, i.e., a forward wheel coupled to the steering assembly and a pair of aft wheels laterally spaced apart for roll stability. Generally, the frame and platform are bifurcated into lateral segments, e.g., a right and left segment, to provide an open space therebetween to accommodate propulsion by one of the rider's feet/legs. Like more conventional scooters, the steering assembly comprises a steering column for supporting a steering shaft. The shaft is coupled to the forward wheel at one end thereof and includes handles or a wheel at the other end for steering the forward wheel. The steering column is typically mounted at a vertex or mid-point of a V- or U-shaped frame support (from a rear view perspective), thereby bifurcating the frame into lateral segments. In some of the more sophisticated models, a brake assembly is disposed in combination with the forward wheel for arresting the forward motion of the scooter. Holter U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,121, Rappaport U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,331 and Rappaport U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,879 illustrate and describe scooters of the tricycle-type and are generally indicative of the state-of-the-art. Such scooters are available from several sources including: Marky Sparky Toys located in Carlsbad, Calif. under the trade name “California Chariot”, Pacific Cycle located in Madison, Wis. under the trademark “Schwinn Gladiator”, and Trikke located in Kent, England under the trade names “Trikke.5”, “Trikke.6” and “Trikke.8”.
Scooters, such as the type described in the Holter '121 and Rappaport '121 & '879 patents, were developed to address safety issues associated with the side-to-side tipping of conventional two-wheeled scooter designs. Hence, with child safety being the design focus, such scooters have generally been designed and fabricated to accommodate a child's size and weight.
Scooters, which may be analogized to skateboards, have had greatest appeal in the past decade with athletes such as Tommy Hawk popularizing the sport and, as a consequence, the popularity of skateboards/scooters. As the generation of skateboard and scooter enthusiasts mature, it will undoubtedly generate an appeal for scooters adapted for the adult frame, i.e., size and weight. Further, the fusion between entertainment, health consciousness and parenthood will most assuredly occur for scooter/skateboard enthusiasts as it has already for runners/cyclists.
A need, therefore, exists for a vehicle adapted for the adult frame while, additionally, being adapted to carry a young child, e.g., an infant/toddler.